With more than 30 years of experience in the cattle business, Rusty Ellis has learned how to make the most of local resources on his backgrounding operation near Billings, Montana. His cattle can be found grazing near the Beartooth Mountains in the spring and summer and are transported to another ranch with milder weather just northeast of Billings each winter. His proximity to Billings enables Ellis to utilize byproducts as a cost-effective feed source for his cattle during the winter months. The ration typically includes a mix of distiller grains, wheat middlings, straw and beet pulp. “When you boil it...

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Graduate students pursuing careers in meat science and animal science are encouraged to apply for the annual W.D. Farr Scholarship program. Established in 2007 by the National Cattlemen’s Foundation (NCF), the scholarship recognizes outstanding graduate students committed to advancing the beef industry. Two ,000 grants are awarded to graduate students who demonstrate superior achievement in academics and leadership. Previous scholarship recipients recognize that the program not only benefits their work but also the entire industry. “Receiving the W.D. Farr Scholarship enhanced my ability to share my research with veterinarians and producers in the field, as well as direct future research...

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 The SD FFA Foundation announces the appointment of Tracy Kaltvedt as the new SD FFA Foundation Executive Assistant. Kaltvedt follows Gretchen Sharp, who retired after serving the SD FFA Foundation for 24 years. Kaltvedt brings experience in project management, facilitating daily operations, implementing process improvements and maintaining data integrity, confidentiality and security. She also brings extensive computer, team building and problem-solving skills from industry. She served as the SD FFA 1997-98 State Sentinel, and has been a continuous supporter of the organization, judging the state parliamentary procedure event for years. Kaltvedt will provide the SD FFA Foundation administrative, financial and fundraising...

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Dear Kellie, Thank you so much for the feature on the greenthread bloom. For our 65th anniversary, we took a few days to make a tour to Folsen, New Mexico, across Johnston’s Mesa. This was an early time for us to drive in the northeast part of New Mexico and southeast corner of Colorado. The spring flowers were all over covering the pastures. We visited a ranch family as they were unloading a semi of cattle on the Mesa. I took a few pictures, and in the lush green pastures is this long row of yellow in the background. This...

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When pinkeye raged through my kindergarten class, we all looked like a bunch of crybabies who’d been ballin’ our eyes out because our class hamster, Hieronymus, died of suspicious causes. Mothers back then were pulling their kids out of class faster than an Arizona roadrunner with its tail-feathers on fire, and pretty soon the weepy-eyed teacher and I were the only ones who showed up for school. So, I know what the pinkeye calves are experiencing right now in my neck of the woods. We had a weird year of rainfall. We didn’t get very much, but what we did...

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Family farmers and ranchers will be celebrated August 30, during South Dakota Farmers Union Day at the South Dakota State Fair. “Agriculture is the state’s No. 1 industry, so our organization works to ensure fairgoers have a chance to meet the families doing the work as well as gain a better understanding of the challenges these families face as they work to feed America,” explained Karla Hofhenke, Executive Director of South Dakota Farmers Union. To accomplish these goals, South Dakota Farmers Union provides opportunities for fairgoers to meet family farmers and ranchers throughout the day. And the premiere sponsor of...

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United States cattle producers with an interest in strengthening the economic position of their individual farms and ranches and in ensuring the health and safety of the U.S. livestock herd would not knowingly support policies that conflict with their own interests and goals. For example, cattle producers wouldn’t support opening the U.S. border to a country not free of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), especially when USDA forecasts that allowing beef from such a country would cause U.S. cattle producers to lose millions upon millions of dollars. But the U.S. border was opened to fresh beef from Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and...

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Agri-Kid of the Week, Clella Sampsel, is the #1 lambing barn helper. Photo courtesy of Dawnita Deichmann.

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It is 4-H fair season, so parents, grandparents, and 4-H’ers are in or have been in or will be in a frantic mode of getting projects ready and putting aside several days to compete at the fair. It is an exciting yet stressful experience for all 4-H families. Tami Jo Blake, former Western Ag Reporter editor, wrote this essay about her recent experience getting ready for fair. Tami Jo, her husband Beau, and their four children live and work on the PV Ranch near Hysham, Montana. I have entitled her essay “The Night Before the Fair,” because I think all...

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Sixty-three teams representing 11 states convened in the small, ranching town of Lusk, Wyoming – situated two hours north of Cheyenne – for the first annual Rawhide Ranch Rodeo on July 25-26. With 100 percent of the entry fees going back to the winning teams, along with other highly coveted prizes, the inaugural event has been dubbed “The World’s Richest Ranch Rodeo.” At the end of the action-packed, two-day event, the 41 Spear team from Fort Washakie, Wyoming, rose to the top of a highly talented field; 41 Spear team members, Jacob Nicholas, Challis Whitlock, Casey Good, and Kaden Lungren,...

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